Life Continues On
by Wrenn8811
Summary: This story is set a few months After The Dust Settles, primarily Spike and Fred Shippiness
1. Life Gets Back to Normal

A/N Thanks goes out to every one who reviewed After the Dust Settles, for those of you who wanted more Gunn and Angel they haven't come knocking on my door late at night yet.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, am not getting paid enough during my day job so don't due me.

Months had passed since the night in the alley, after they had scattered Wesleys' ashes, Willow and Kendall had returned to Central America, Andrew, Xander, Giles and Buffy had gone back to Europe.

There had been quite a fight when Dawn had had announced her decision to stay in LA and join Angel Investigations, there had been accusations from both of the Summers sisters, it was Faith's decision to stay as well that had tipped the balance. Faith promised Buffy that she would watch over Dawn, Angel and Gunn also made it very clear that the only exciting thing Dawn would be doing was going to the library for more research information.

Life as the Fang Gang knew it was pretty much back to normal, they had gone through hell and came out the other side, battered, bruised and grieving but they were back. One day in late summer Harmony showed up and declared that Angel Investigations required her services, so she set herself up as their Administrative Assistant. Though the team really wasn't quite sure what Harmony was assisting them with.


	2. Of Popsicles and Combustion

Fall in LA was at its height and the Santa Ana winds were blowing constantly, the heat was enough to make a person melt.

Fred and Dawn were sitting on the marble floor of the lobby trying to cool down while they did some research, there had been a rash of attacks on young men who were dying their hair.

Fred figured it had to do something with the chemicals in the hair dye that were causing the demon to attack. Dawn thought since the attacks could be interpreted as sexual in nature that there was a female demon in heat that was attracted to cheesy guys who died their hair.

Both young women looked up as the door opened, and glared at Spike and Angel as they walked through the door. Angel checked over his shoulder to make sure that there was no one behind him; ever since Fred had taken on Buffy he was a little more careful around her. Angel realized that the women were glaring at him and Spike, he shot a questioning look at Spike and received a blank look in return, no help there.

Spike racked his brain to think of what he might have done to piss both Fred and lil Bit off, but he kept coming up with a blank, "Hey Peaches, hows about we go patrol that bar there?"

Faith and Gunn pushed past the vampires standing the doorway who were both doing a fairly good imitation of deer caught in headlights look. Faith tossed two very large Rocket popsicles to Dawn and Fred saying as she did so "I know its enough to make you want to stake em, it's hot enough to cook eggs on cement and they bounce around wearing leather." Before she collapsed on the floor in front of the sofa and dug into her ice cream cone.

Gunn simply laid down on the tile in the middle of the room, "Let me die here, I'm not movin even if a demon comes through the floor."

"Its not that bad in here," Spike said as he crossed the room to the weapons cabinet, "the marble keeps the heat down for you girls." He totally missed the look that Fred shot him as he went into the office to grab a cup of blood.

Ever since the alley Fred and Spike had shared the same room, they slept together but that's all they had done. In all the months since his bold declaration to Buffy, Spike had not even tried to put the moves on Fred in that arena. Oh, sure he woke up with Fred tangled around him and had the distinctive reaction that every male of any species had when they woke up with a beautiful woman wrapped around them.

Spike wasn't even sure what he was waiting for; he knew the rest of the gang thought it was terribly sweet (Dawn's words from an overheard conversation) that he was courting Fred. Not to say he still wasn't his bad assed self when on patrol, and well you really couldn't fault a guy for going after his broodiness every chance he got.

Spike wandered back into the lobby and watched Fred devour her Popsicle, she went after as she tackled everything, with complete concentration and passion. Spike felt his jeans suddenly get too tight as he watched Fred lick, nibble and swallow her treat. When she ran her tongue from the bottom to the top then swallowed the ice cold sweet and moaned in delight, Spike almost came right then and there. He closed his eyes and thought _Grob Demon Gunk, dead puppies, old naked nuns_, in an effort to reduce the effect Fred was having on him. _This woman is gonna kill me, well at least I'll go down in history as the first vampire to expire from combustion due to unrequited lust._

Faith burst out laughing, she had watched the whole scene, and she knew Fred was going to get back at Spike for his comment in some way. She just never figured Fred out to be a tease; boy did that girl make a Popsicle into a item that shouldn't be allowed around children.

"Finally feeling the heat Spike?" Faith asked ever so sweetly

"Oh sod off" was his only growled comment before he went upstairs to shower.


	3. How Did you Do That?

Spike lay sprawled across the bed in, enjoying the feel of silk against his skin, as he listened to the rest of the group went to their own rooms. With two vampires in residence everyone decided that they needed rooms as far away as possible from each other.

Dawn called "good morning, sleep well" as she mounted the stairs to her room at the very top of the hotel, Gunn chased Faith through the hallways to the room they shared. Spike heard Nina howl from the cage in the basement; he knew Angel was waiting for Nina to change back into her human form before going to bed. Even though Nina still had her own apartment, she spent most of her nights, days when she was a werewolf sleeping here at the Hyperion.

Spike tried to ignore the sounds coming from the other side of the door, because every time he heard them his imagination went wild and Grob demon gunk just wasn't quite cutting it anymore. He could see the cool water running in rivulets down the blue skin, dancing over shoulders, following the curves of a slim but muscled back to pool in the dimple at the base of her spine, before running down the curves of a perfect ass to the long lean legs. Spike wanted to follow the trails of water where they ran, he groaned as he felt himself harden again, with Fred around it was a constant affliction.

Fred had never said anything after she announced that she loved him, she had been treating him like a brother, a special friend. Sure they went out on dates, and hung around together and had fun, even when they had fights they were fun. Spike didn't remember laughing this much in the past century, but he really couldn't take much more. With a heavy heart he decided he had to tell Fred that he was going to move out of the room, he debated with himself whether he should move out of the hotel, but he realized he could not bear to be that far away from Fred.

"Turning into a bloody Ponce I am, next thing you know I'll wander around brooding an not having any fun"

So lost in thought Spike did not hear the water shut off and the door open. Fred paused in the doorway, she knew that she wanted to make love to Spike, and for the past month she had made a point of wrapping herself around him before he awoke in the hopes that Spike would get the hint, but all he ever did was bolt from the bed and hide in the bathroom.

Fred examined the long lean body lying across the bed, she wanted to lick that pale skin the same way she would an ice cream cone. Fred wanted to savor every inch of skin on that muscled body before going in for the prize.

Fred padded across the room, _I have to make the first move_, with that thought she crawled onto the bed. Fred draped her hot body across Spike's bare back, as his cool skin leeched the excess heat from her skin Fred moaned, "Um, I want to stay here forever, you are so comfortable."

"Not exactly the thing a man wants to hear luv," Spike said with a laugh, which cut short at the feel of Fred's tongue running along the nape of his neck, "Pet? Fred?"

"mmm" Fred followed the line of Spike's back with her tongue all the way down to the base of his spine before working her way back up. She nipped the skin below his ear, making Spike gasp as she soothed the bite with her tongue.

With his vampire senses Spike could hear Fred's increase heartbeat and smell her arousal, but he still needed to be sure. "Fred, luv, are you sure?" Spike hated the hesitancy in his voice, but he wasn't sure if he could ever recover if this woman turned on him in the morning.

Fred sat up and turned Spike to face her, "I am absolutely sure William" Spike could see the certainty, love and passion in her eyes, with a smile Fred leaned closer "Now are you going to let me try to make you scream my name?"

Spike laughed, reaching up he framed Fred's face with his hand, "You can have your way with me, Winifred"

The trembling aftershocks ran through both their bodies as their breathing slowed. Spike's arms trembled as he tried to keep himself from collapsing on top of his lover, he rolled onto his side pulling Fred closer into his arms.

Fred reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, "I love you"

Spike kissed Fred softly, "I love you Fred, more than I ever dared to hope for."

Pulling Fred even closer, Spike slipped over into sleep, feeling for the first time in over a century that he was home.

The next morning Nina, Faith and Dawn converged on Fred as soon as the pair appeared in the lobby.

"We're taking Fred out for coffee" Dawn called back over her shoulder as the women hustled a bemused Fred out of the door. Before the lobby doors closed completely Faiths voice was heard asking "How exactly did you get him to yell 'Holy Heaven in Christ?"

"Huh, never knew a vampire could blush" Gunn observed, as Spike went to the fridge.

"Oh sod off you bloody wankers" was Spikes response to Angel and Gunns laughter.


End file.
